New Delhi: Israel carried out an air strike in Qatar's capital of Doha on Tuesday (September 9), targeting senior Hamas negotiators who were meeting to discuss a US proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza, according to statements from both Israeli and Qatari authorities.

The strike marked the second major attack on Qatari soil this year. In June, Iran launched missiles to target the Al Udeid Air Base of the US, a day after America attacked three Iranian nuclear sites.

Al Jazeera, citing a Hamas source, reported that the targets were Hamas officials who were meeting in Doha to discuss US President Donald Trump’s ceasefire proposal.

Reuters reported citing Israeli sources that the main aim was to hit Khalil al-Hayya, the group’s Gaza chief and lead negotiator who has been living in exile in Qatar.

Hamas’s political leadership has been based in Doha for years.

The Israeli military later confirmed that its air force, working with the Shin Bet domestic security agency, had launched an assassination attempt on Hamas leaders in Doha. It said the targeted members had directed the group’s activities for years and vowed to continue operations until Hamas was defeated.

The Shin Bet security agency published photos from its special operations command centre during the strike against Hamas’s leadership in Qatar, which showed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, defence minister Israel Katz and top officials of Shin Bet and the Israel Defence Forces.

India said it was “deeply concerned” by the Israeli strikes and the impact it would have in the region's security situation, although it stopped short of condemning Tel Aviv's move.

“We strongly urge restraint and diplomacy, so that peace and security in the region is not endangered,” the Ministry of External Affairs said.

The targeted Hamas officials survived the attack, but two other members of its delegation were killed, as per Palestinian media.

Netanyahu’s office said the attack was “a wholly independent Israeli operation”, adding: “Israel initiated it, Israel conducted it and Israel takes full responsibility.”

Neither Netanyahu nor the military made direct reference to the specific site in the Qatari capital.

Qatar strongly condemned what it described as a “cowardly Israeli attack” on residential buildings housing members of Hamas’s political bureau. “This criminal assault constitutes a blatant violation of all international laws and norms, and poses a serious threat to the security and safety of Qataris and residents in Qatar,” foreign ministry spokesperson Majed Al Ansari said in a statement.

He added that investigations were underway “at the highest level” and that Qatar would not tolerate actions targeting its sovereignty.

The US embassy in Doha confirmed it had received “reports of missile strikes” and issued a shelter-in-place order for its staff and facilities. It also advised American citizens in Qatar to take similar precautions.

An Al Jazeera correspondent reporting from Doha said the strike hit a residential neighbourhood with several foreign embassies, not an isolated site. Qatari security officials were working to secure the area and assess casualties.

The attack came as Hamas negotiators were meeting to consider the latest US proposal for a cessation of hostilities. Israeli foreign minister Gideon Saar said earlier in the day that Israel had accepted the American plan, even as the military pushed ahead with a ground operation aimed at seizing Gaza City.

Emirati president Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan’s diplomatic advisor Anwar Gargash condemned the strike and stressed Gulf solidarity with Qatar. “The security of the Arab Gulf states is indivisible, and we stand wholeheartedly with our sisterly state of Qatar in confronting this aggression,” he said, describing the Israeli strike as “treacherous”.

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman also telephoned Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to condemn the strike. The Saudi foreign ministry said the kingdom offered “full support for the sisterly State of Qatar, and its condemnation of the blatant Israeli attack … which constitutes a criminal act and a flagrant violation of international laws and norms.”

It added that Saudi Arabia was “deploying all its capabilities” to support Qatar and “the measures it is taking to protect its security and preserve its sovereignty”.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also condemned the attack. His spokesperson said Guterres considered the strike as a “flagrant violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Qatar”. 

Stating that Qatar had played a very positive role in trying to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and release of all hostages, he said, “All parties must work towards achieving a permanent ceasefire, not destroying it”.

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